Sucker-rod guide



Patented pr. 21:, 193iV UNITED STATES FRANK W. SUTTON, 0F OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA STICKER-ROD GUIDE Application filed February 23, 1928. Serial No. 256,280.

My invention relates to sucker rod guides for oil wells and has for its principal object to prevent wearing of the sucker rods and tubing caused by the rubbing of the rods on thetubing in inclined or crooked wells.

In accomplishing this and other objects of my invention I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view of a portion of an inclined well showing the sucker rods equipped with my improved guides.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the guide showing a fragmentary portion of a sucker rod applied therein.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the disassembled guide members, the ball bearings being removed therefrom.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a portion of an inclined well hole lined with casing 2, and 3 designates the well tubing supported concentrically within the casing by tubing catchers 4 spaced at the required intervals within the casing, and 5 designates sucker rods extending through the tubing from the top of the well and connecting with a pump near the bottom of the well (not shown) for reciprocably actuating the pump whereby oil is displaced from the well in accordance with common practice.

Reciprocably mounted on the sucker rods 5 and within the tubing 3 are the guide bear- Y ings 6 for spacing the sucker rods concentrically withinV the tubing and reducing the frictional resistance to the reciprocation of the rods, the guides being equally spaced throughout the entire string of tubing, preferably one guide per length of tubing; stop clamps 7 Vbeing spacedV above and below each guide and secured to the rods to insure the retention of each guide to its proper allotted spacing.

The guide bearing 6 includes a barrel comprising mated halves 6, preferably castings, formed in molds produced by a common pattern, and, being identical in form, only one of the members will hereafter be described.

The barrel member 6 comprises a semicircular channel 8 extending centrally and longitudinally throughout the length of the member and interrupted adjacent one end and at a substantially central point by semiy circular chambers 9, formed in the housing portions 10 of larger diameter than the body of the barrel. n

Formed in the vertical walls of the housing portions are ball sockets 11 having a smaller diameter at the outer surface of the walls for retaining ball bearings l2 applied in the sockets from 'within the housings, the bearings protruding slightly outside the housing walls 13 and slightly within the walls of the channel 8 for respectively contacting the walls of the tubing and the surface of the sucker rods when the guide is assembled for operation.

Ears 14 are provided at each end of the barrel members and openings 15 in the ears receive fastening devices 16 for securing the barrel members together, the ends of the members being reversed in assenibl so asto present an e ual distribution of t e bearings in the assem led guide barrel, a bearing being positioned adjacent each end of the barrel and on opposite sides thereof, the intermediate bearingsrbeing positioned above and below the transverse center of the barrel and on opposite sides of it-s longitudinal center.

In assembling the guides on a sucker rod for application in a well, the members 6 (Fig. 3) are fitted with ball bearings 12 applied in the sockets 11 and the halves are laid together over a sucker rod, the rod extending through the cylindrical opening 17 formed by the mated channels 8 and slightly larger in diameter than the rod. The balls 12 engage and space the rod concentrically within the opening 17 and the fastening devices 16 are then applied for retaining the members in their assembled relation.

Having applied the guide barrel on a sucker rod, the stop clamps 7 are then applied on the rod and spaced from opposite ends of the guide to permit its reciprocation on the rod, and the rods with guides assembled thereon are then lowered into the tubing of a well in Vball bearings protruding romthe housings the usual manner, With the outer Contact points of the balls l2 engaging the inner vWall of the tubing. y

When the pumping apparatus is assembled in a Well and the sucker rods are reciprocated in the usual manner, the Widely distributed ball bearing Contacts of the guides permit a free and easy movementl of the rods Within the guides.

Should the inner bearing between thel rod Y and the guide become sluggish, due to collec tion of sediment or the like, the guide member Will be free to reciprocate with the rods, the

l0 providing distributed point Contact with the tubing to permit free reeivprocatory movement of the rods.

What claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

l. 'In a suoker'rod guide, semi-*cylindrical mated body members including longitudinally spaced bearing portions arranged in offset relation on opposite sides of the members and having ball-retaining sockets, bearing balls mounted in the sockets, and means for clamping the mated members together.

2. In a sucker rod guide, semi-cylindrical matedbody members longitudinally, spaced bearing portions in the body members having ball-retaining sockets, bearing balls mounted in*V said sockets, and means for clampingy the mated body members together in reversed relation to olset the respective bearing por-- tions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. FRAN-K W. SUTTON. 

